US Open 2014: Winners and Losers from Flushing Meadows
In most unexpected fashion, the U.S. Open has ended and the 2014 Grand Slam season is in the books. This fortnight was full of surprises from beginning to end.
While there were upsets galore on the women's side in the first week, a familiar face ended up holding the trophy, as No. 1 Serena Williams made history with her sixth U.S. Open title, her 18th major overall. She took out Caroline Wozniacki in the final, 6-3, 6-3.
The men chose to save the chaos for the second week, as No. 14 Marin Cilic and No. 10 Kei Nishikori bulldozed their way to the final. There, Cilic seized the day, taking out the Japanese superstar 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
But there was plenty of drama before the finals as well. Qualifiers and wild cards shocked the world, legends fell and milestones were reached. Keep clicking to find out all of the winners and losers from a fantastic two weeks in New York.
Winner: Breakthroughs in Men's Tennis
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It's possible that we will look back on this tournament as the changing of the guard in men's tennis, with Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic as the torch bearers.
The two men built on what Stan Wawrinka did at the Australian Open and proved that the top guys simply aren't as indestructible as they used to be.
Kei Nishikori, No. 10, made his maiden final with an all-star second-week run. The 24-year-old took out No. 5 Milos Raonic in five sets in the fourth round, No. 3 Wawrinka in five sets in the quarters and No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets in the semis.
Unfortunately for Japan, he just didn't have enough left in the tank to take out No. 14 Cilic in the final. Twenty-five-year-old Cilic was in pretty much unstoppable form, backing up his straight-set wins over No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the quarters and No. 2 Roger Federer in the semis with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Nishikori in the final. It feels like the sky is the limit for the powerful Croat now.
Men's tennis looks a little bit different these days, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Loser: The Big Four
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We knew it was going to happen someday, but few expected it to be now. For the first time since the 2005 Australian Open, there were no members of the Big Four in a major final.
Rafael Nadal missed the tournament with a wrist injury sustained in practice this summer. Andy Murray's ranking has dropped after a subpar season, so he had to play Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. He lost.
Still, it seemed likely that we'd have an all-Big Four final when Djokovic and Roger Federer made it to the semis. But, as we all know, they lost to No. 10 Kei Nishikori and No. 14 Marin Cilic, respectively.
"I'm happy for these guys, you know," Federer said after his loss, via USOpen.org. "But, you know, comes at the cost of me losing, and it's not so much fun."
The members of the Big Four aren't going anywhere—they're still going to be contending for majors. It just looks like they're just going to have a lot more competition from here on out.
Winner: The Bryan Brothers
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In sports, timing rarely works out as well as it did for Bob and Mike Bryan this fortnight.
In danger of having their first Slamless season since 2004, the brothers won the U.S. Open title with aplomb, defeating Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-3, 6-4 in the final.
It was their 16th major and 100th career title, and it all happened in front of their home crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Mike Bryan—the righty—spoke to the press afterward about what this meant to them, via USOpen.org:
"Yeah, it's always sweet winning a Grand Slam. This just adds some extra whip cream and cherries and nuts on top. To win a slam for the 10th consecutive year, that was kind of in the back of our heads, too. I mean, it was just great. We went out there and played a good match. We do get nervous. I think it was something like our 27th Grand Slam final. It feels like it was our first. You know, we were jittery. Tough to eat, tough to sleep. You know, but we kind of rose above it.
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Loser: The Rulebook
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Peng Shuai was having the Slam of her life, as she made it to the semis of a major for the first time in her career at the age of 28. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no fairytale ending to her journey.
In her semi against Caroline Wozniacki, Peng had what first looked like cramps and ended up being heat-related illness. She hunched over and eventually crumbled to the court, unable to stand. After the doctors came out to treat her, she was taken off-court for an official three-minute MTO, and then came back to attempt to play. It didn't go well, and she ended up retiring.
Many were angry that the incident left Wozniacki standing on court—facing a break point nonetheless—for way too long. Others, myself included, were horrified that Peng was allowed back on court the second time. In her press conference afterward, she had trouble remembering what happened when she went back on court.
As this piece by Melissa Isaacson of ESPNW points out that the rules are flexible in this situation:
"For the record, the rule on medical timeouts (not during a changeover) states that 'No extra time shall be given to allow a player to recover condition. However, a player suffering from a treatable medical condition may be allowed one medical time-out of three minutes for the treatment of that medical condition.'
US Open tournament director David Brewer said that rather than a strict time limit for injury, the rule allowed for Peng to be evaluated and treated in 'a reasonable amount of time.'
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Clearer rules about evaluation time, heat-related illnesses vs. cramping and when MTOs can be taken without point penalties would have clarified a lot in this situation.
For now, though, the most important thing is that Peng is okay.
Winner: Ekaterina Makarova
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It was certainly a Slam to remember for 26-year-old Russian Ekaterina Makarova.
Seeded No. 17, Makarova had the best fortnight of her life, making it all the way to the semis in singles (a career best at a major) and then winning the women's doubles title with her partner Elena Vesnina. That's certainly a good reason to smile.
Until she reached Serena Williams in the semis, Makarova didn't drop a single set—pretty impressive when you realize she took out Eugenie Bouchard and Victoria Azarenka.
This was her third Grand Slam title—she won the women's doubles title at the French Open in 2013 and the mixed doubles crown at the 2012 U.S. Open—and she now moves to a career-high No. 15 in singles. If she keeps playing like she did in New York, she'll be in the top 10 in no time.
Loser: Top-Seeded Women
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If your name isn't Serena Williams and you were a top-eight seed at the U.S. Open, it's likely that this was a Slam that you want to forget.
Petra Kvitova, No. 3, lost in the third round to qualifier Aleksandra Krunic. Simona Halep, No. 2, also fell in the third round to a qualifier, in her case Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 4, lost to the eventual semifinalist Peng Shuai in the second round.
Ana Ivanovic was the No. 8 seed, and after a great summer she was expected to make a run here. Instead she crashed out in the second round to Karolina Pliskova.
Angelique Kerber, No. 6, fell to the Swiss teen sensation Belinda Bencic in the third round, and No. 5 Maria Sharapova and No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard fell in the fourth round.
Upsets are a lot of fun, and there were some spectacular performances by stand-out underdogs to generate the shock waves. But this was all a bit much.
Winner: Gael Monfils
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If this fortnight proved anything, it's that tennis needs Gael Monfils. He is an electric entertainer capable of making nearly any shot on the tennis court, and his passion for the sport is incredibly contagious.
He came ready to play in New York, dazzling in straight-set and shockingly straightforward wins over No. 12 Richard Gasquet and No. 7 Grigor Dimitrov. He then pushed Roger Federer to five sets in a night-time quarterfinal on Ashe that will be remembered for years to come, squandering two match points along the way.
Louisa Thomas of Grantland did her best to sum up the Frenchman:
"Tennis is as much a psychological game as a physical one. But there is no understanding La Monf. He plays as he speaks, in acrobatic and funny and maddening and oddly compelling contradictions. “It’s like if I’m not happy, it’s OK. I want just to be happy, you know. If I’m not happy, fine. Have it, you know.” He may be too self-destructive to win a major, and that’s sad, because it’s nice to win majors, and because tennis would be a more entertaining, more appealing, more winsome sport if Monfils were playing when people were watching.
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This U.S. Open was a reminder of how much fun it is when Monfils is a factor at Slams, and hopefully it will spur him on to bigger and better things.
Loser: Svetlana Kuznetsova
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Ten years after Svetlana Kuznetsova won the U.S. Open as a 19-year-old, she went crashing out in the first round to Marina Erakovic, 6-3, 2-6, 6-7.
The Russian has had ups and downs throughout the years, but she won her first WTA title in four years this summer at the Citi Open and was considered a dark horse by many before the tournament began.
As reported by Pat Leonard of The Daily News, she was very disappointed by the result:
"'When you have expectations, you get tight,' Kuznetsova said. 'It’s disappointing and shocking to lose in the first round, but in another way I (ask), ‘What could I have done better off the court for preparation?’ I do my best every day what I can. I work a lot. I eat (well). I mean, I do whatever I can 100%.'
Kuznetsova’s nerves may have been related to the pressure of trying to match her 2004 U.S. Open title on its 10th anniversary, as well as her runner-up finish in 2007.
'That was for you guys, everywhere it was on the television,' Kuznetsova said of the significance of her Open win’s 10th anniversary.
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Winner: CiCi Bellis
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No story captivated the first week of the tournament more than that of CiCi Bellis, the 15-year-old wild card who became the youngest player in 18 years to win a match at the U.S. Open when she upset Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova in the first round.
Her first-round match wasn't televised, but as the upset was brewing, ESPN brought cameras over to the court to capture the 15-year-old's euphoria when she pulled off the titanic feat.
Her second-round match against Zarina Diyas was on Court 17, and as it got pushed back into the evening due to lengthy daytime matches, ESPN showed her match instead of Andy Murray's night session on Ashe. She ended up losing but definitely captured the hearts of Americans along the way.
Bellis was upset in the junior tournament too, and the key now is going to be for the media to leave her alone a bit as she develops. No matter what, we'll always remember how Bellis took the first week of the 2014 U.S. Open by storm.
Loser: 2:27 a.m. ET
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OK, so this is just bizarre. On the second Monday night at the U.S. Open, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic took the court a little after 10:00 p.m. ET for their fourth-round encounter. As the tight match went on, it became clear that it was going to be a very late night.
Nishikori ended up coming from behind to win the match 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, and it certainly seemed as if the match was going to be the latest finish in U.S. Open history. However, it ended up finishing at 2:26 a.m. ET, tying two other matches on the dot.
That's right—there are now three matches in U.S. Open history that have finished exactly at 2:26 a.m., a seemingly improbable fact. The other two matches were the Philipp Kohlscheiber and John Isner third-round clash in 2012 and Mats Wilander vs. Mikael Pernfors in 1993.
Maybe one day we'll get to see the other side of 2:26 a.m., but for now, that seems to a wall the U.S. Open is incapable of breaking through.
Winner: Qualifiers
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There were two qualifiers with very different stories who absolutely stole the show during the first week of the U.S. Open: Aleksandra Krunic and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Krunic, 21, is a Serbian who has always been in the shadows of her countrywomen. Ranked No. 145 in New York, she qualified for just the second main draw of a major in her career and ended up taking out No. 27 Madison Keys and No. 3 Petra Kvitova to advance to the fourth round, where she pushed No. 16 Victoria Azarenka to the brink.
The most impressive thing about Krunic was her movement—she's shorter than most players but made up for it with her incredible foot speed and defense. She could also generate a surprising amount of power and hit winners from all over! Hopefully we'll see her again soon.
Lucic-Baroni was the sentimental favorite. At 32 and 15 years removed from her semifinal run at Wimbledon, she qualified and ended up taking out No. 2 Simona Halep in the third round to make it to the fourth round, where she lost to Sara Errani.
Her past is full of abuse, tragedy and financial hardship, and so it was nice to see her strike-first game and perseverance get the attention they deserved. "I mean, it's amazing," she told the press, via USOpen.org. "I finally been able to play the tennis that I love the way I love to play."
Loser: Americans
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Another Grand Slam tournament, another slew of disappointments for Americans not named Serena Williams or Bob and Mike Bryan.
On the women's side, things were particularly bleak as a big group of women came in with momentum and good form and then fell flat. The most notable losses came from No. 21 Sloane Stephens in the second round to Johanna Larsson, No. 27 Madison Keys in the second round to Aleksandra Krunic and No. 19 Venus Williams in the third round to Sara Errani.
Despite so much promise elsewhere, Serena was the only American woman in the fourth round.
The situation on the men's side was even more dire. Only three American men—John Isner, Sam Querrey and Tim Smyczek—made it to the second round. Only Isner and Querrey made the third round, and they both lost there. It was particularly disappointing to see Donald Young, Steve Johnson and Jack Sock go out in the first round, since they had all had good summers and had decent draws.
There is hope for the future, but this U.S. Open was pretty rough for the Americans.
Winner: The Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams Friendship
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It was a fantastic tournament for Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams, both on the court and off.
Serena, of course, won her 18th major title, joining Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova at second on the all-time majors list in the Open Era. She was beyond dominant, not even dropping a single set on her way to the title.
In the final she took on her good friend Caroline Wozniacki, who had a career revival in New York. Wozniacki made it back to a major final for the first time in five years and showed that when she finds the right balance of offense and defense, she is still a big threat.
But the best part about their runs was their friendship—the two even went out on the town for drinks together after the final!
"You know, to have 18 Grand Slam titles and still be the person she is is really something very rare," Wozniacki told the press after her loss, via USOpen.org. "I admire her both on and off the court.
Loser: Patrick McEnroe
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As the Americans fell during this U.S. Open, the talk about the lack of progress in the USTA Player Development program brewed to the surface once more.
By midway through the second week, it was announced that the head of the program, Patrick McEnroe, was being forced to resign. McEnroe had received a lot of criticism throughout his tenure for his hefty salary and the fact that he had so many other jobs—including commentating for ESPN—that took him away from the USTA.
However, according to Mary Pilon and Andrew W. Lehran of The New York Times, the main reason cited for the resignation was a change of location:
"The player development arm of the U.S.T.A. is at a crossroads. This year, the U.S.T.A. announced plans to create a $60 million “New Home for Tennis” in Lake Nona, a community in southeast Orlando, Fla. With 100 or more courts, the Lake Nona complex would include player development operations. McEnroe has been based in New York.
The change in location, McEnroe said, was part of the decision to leave his current role, even though the player development program was based in Boca Raton, Fla., during his tenure. “I certainly felt I was doing the job from here over the last six years,” McEnroe said.
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